Group 5 Fernandina Beach City Commission candidate Cason Zylinski didn’t do herself any favors in a rambling, disjointed front page interview with Julia Roberts — the News-Leader reporter with the fortunate name — in that paper’s Wednesday, October 19 edition.

Headlined “Cason Zylinski is running on a hometown perspective” the 36-year-old Ms. Zylinski lost little time boorishly and bewilderingly insulting her incumbent opponent, retired U.S. Marine, Len Kreger, saying: “There’s no possible way a 75-year-old relocated northerner settling into retirement could have the same interests and core values as a working class mother.” Without explaining that gibberish she then attempted to clarify why she hasn’t run for office prior to this but her explanation left puzzled readers scratching their heads as she said: “I’ve wanted to do this for about 10 years now, but the cards got stacked against somebody with my background, between demographic and tax bracket and being a local.” If anybody reading that understands what she said then please explain it to me, because I don’t.

Ms. Zylinksi, who works in some sort of management position for the Fletcher Avenue Sliders bar and restaurant where she books live music events, said that her priority as a commissioner would be to bring musical festivals to the city and was quoted using the term “freakin'” at least three times during the interview to emphasize her statements. For unexplained reasons she also tried to pigeon-hole popular former Parks & Recreation Department Manager, Jay Robertson, as a person that “wanted to be a concert promoter,” when in fact Mr. Robertson was responsible for much more than concerts, and did it all very well prior to leaving to accept a similar job in south Georgia. Why even mention Mr. Robertson? There’s much, much more of Ms. Zylinski’s silliness in this interview but take my word for it, based on this article alone, she is not the person this community wants on the City Commission. I’m voting for Mr. Kreger, a solid citizen, and a serious and proven commissioner, who studies and understands the issues even though I don’t agree with him very often.

In the other City Commission race I’m sticking with incumbent and retired businessman Roy Smith in the Group 4 race over challengers Bradley Bean and Mike Lednovich. I like Bean but want him to regroup and take out Commissioner Chip Ross when his term is up. As for Mr. Lednovich, who moved here just over a year ago, he’s a guy who thinks so much of himself that he ran for U.S. President in 2016 while living in California, a move that for some reason makes me uncomfortable. He’s also a very close pal of puffed-up Commissioner Ross, while Smith has been a constant and welcome thorn in that guy’s side.

In other races my vote will go to Rick Scott, U.S. Senator; John Rutherford. U.S. Congressional Representative, District 4; Ron DeSantis, Governor; Ashley Moody, Attorney General; Jimmy Patronis, Chief Financial Officer; Matt Caldwell, Commissioner of Agriculture; Aaron Bean, State Senator, District 4; Cord Byrd, State Representative, District 11; and Thomas Ford, County Commissioner, District 4. I’m voting to retain all of the Supreme Court Justices and voting yes on all of the Constitutional amendments except 3, 4, 9 and 13.

***

Smoked mullet plate

Making Mullet Great Again: A Florida Times-Union writer named Christopher Hong got my attention this past Monday when I borrowed a friend’s outragedly-priced ($2.14) copy of that sad Jacksonville newspaper and read a story headlined “Making mullet great again.” Mr. Hong describes how the bottom-feeding mullet once ruled the dinner tables of many Floridians during the depression years because they were plentiful, easy to catch, simple to prepare, and very tasty. He explained that since they were salted and smoked folks didn’t need electricity to cook them or refrigeration to preserve them. For some reason mullet today have fallen out of favor and are mostly used as bait and are considered a trash fish. But like Mr. Hong, I prefer a smoked mullet any day over one of those “previously frozen” filets displayed in area supermarkets that come from a foreign fish farm cesspool.” Mr. Hong’s article alerted me to the fact that the recently opened Palms Fish Camp on Heckscher Drive catches and slow-smokes batches of mullet over hickory, including hickory nuts. I’ll be heading down there are as soon as I make a call to them (904/240-1636) to make sure they have some on the grill. Mullet are running right now and there is nothing better than a butterflied smoked mullet filet, a nearby bottle of Louisiana hot sauce, and an ice-cold beer.

***

Speaking of Mullet And Mullet Wrappers: Long-time Amelia Island resident, and until just recently, a reporter for the local News-Leader, Cindy Jackson, has joined The Fernandina Observer where she will cover the Nassau County Board of Commission meetings among other assignments. I’ve observed Ms. Jackson while she covered county politics for the News-Leader and found her to be an accurate, fair and balanced reporter, never using unnecessary words to clutter a story. She knows her political subject well as she spent time in Washington. D.C. as a legislative aide, in public relations, legislative affairs, and as a lobbyist. Prior to transitioning into journalism she owned and operated a ladies’ boutique in downtown Fernandina Beach. She will be an asset to the Observer and its fast-growing readership.

***

Fumbling Florida Football: Could football in Florida get much worse than it was last week? Willie Taggert may be in his first and final season as Florida State’s (4-4) head coach following a 59-10 pounding by Clemson, which tied that school’s record for the worst defeat in school history and the worst ever at home, the other being a 49-0 drubbing at Florida in 1973. And speaking of The University of Florida’s Gators (6-2) they were crushed, 36-17, by Georgia, and Boston College smacked the University of Miami’s Hurricanes, 27-14. Meanwhile the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars embarrassed themselves twice in London, once in a bar by trying to skip out on a $60,000 tab and then on the field against the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-18. How do you run up a $60,000 bar tab in a joint that doesn’t even have strippers? These guys are dimmer than a barrel of hair. Oh, Miami’s NFL Dolphins were crushed, 42-23, by Houston’s Texans last Thursday and Tampa’s Buccaneers lost, 37-34, to Cincinnati’s Bengals. Meanwhile former FSU head coach. Jimbo Fisher, is doing just fine in his first year as Texas A&M head coach, where he has his Aggies at 5-3, good enough for 25th place in the AP top 25 poll. Oh, Central Florida is 7-0 and ranked ninth in the AP and Coaches poll and ignored by the state media. What’s up with that?

***

Better Not To Call Saul: In my lifetime there has never been a more pro-Jewish president than Donald Trump, a man whose daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren are Orthodox Jews. He moved the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and has pledged U.S. support to Israel threatening any nation that dares attack it. Following the slaughter of 11 harmless and defenseless people in a Pittsburgh synagogue, the left (Howard Dean, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and commentators on CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC etc.) came unhinged, blaming President Trump for this awful tragedy, committed by a mentally deranged, avowed anti-Semitic Trump-hater. When the President announced his plans to go to Pittsburgh to pay his respects some on the left said he should stay home, despite the rabbi and other congregation members saying they wanted him to come. Lefty louts even came out and shamefully protested the President during the funeral services. Using this horrible tragedy to leverage political gain is a page right out of Saul Alinsky’s book “Handbook for Radicals.” I find it ironic, that in a time of such tragedy in the Jewish community that liberals would stoop to capitalize on this awful disaster, using a Jewish writer’s Neo-Marxist strategies of gradualism, infiltration and the dialectic process for political gain. It’s disgusting. So are they.

***

A Sour Lemon: Don Lemon, a black CNN commentator, said this past week: “So, we have to stop demonizing people and realize the biggest terror threat in this country is white men, most of them radicalized to the right. And we have to start doing something about them. There is no travel ban on them. There is no ban on — they had the Muslim ban. There is no white guy ban. So, what do we do about that? “I think the logical question is what will CNN do about Don Lemon, as there’s no way to make lemonade out of that racist Lemon comment. CNN is owned by AT&T and if enough letters start pouring into that company’s CEO and Board of Directors, they may actually do something about this loon and his boss, Jeff Zucker, who has condoned his vile claptrap for far too long.

***

Blackballed: However, it didn’t take NBC long to fire Megyn Kelly for saying it isn’t wrong for a white person to dress up as a famous black person on Halloween. So what about those companies that sell Barack Obama, Dora The Explorer, Bruce Lee or Pocahontas masks? Should they be forced out of business? Or should the masks have labels on them saying: “Only to be worn by a person of the same ethnicity”? Or how about Elizabeth Warren? Should she face some sort of penalty for pretending to be a Cherokee Indian when she’s actually as white as Snowy Bleach? Or Hillary Clinton, when she put on a fake black and southern accent at a political rally? Why wasn’t she chastened? My mother and I would be in big trouble because when I was about eight or nine years old, she dressed me up as Aunt Jemima for Halloween…and as such I snagged my biggest haul of candy ever. And my Mother was far from a racist, in fact, just the opposite, as any racist comment in her presence brought a swift, harsh and humiliating rebuke. She was also a big fan of the Quaker Oats’ Aunt Jemima branded products. But today I’m sure that costume would bring hostile condemnation for being insensitive to blacks, women and cross dressers. It appears that NBC was looking to unload Ms. Kelly and her falling ratings and fat $69 million contract, and her use of the word “blackface” suited that objective.

***

A Bad Week For Creepy Lawyers: Creepy porn lawyer Michael Avenatti and his client Julie Swetnik have been referred for criminal prosecution after making a series of false claims to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Not only that. but Avenatti, who also represents sex worker Stormy Daniels, has been evicted from his offices for not paying more than four months of back rent, been successfully sued by a former colleague for several million dollars, and owes the IRS millions of dollars in back taxes. This guy wants to run as President on the Democrat ticket. Sounds to me like he’d fit right in with the rest of that crew and Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer will probably welcome him with open arms. Three more creepy lawyers are also in legal trouble resulting from the Democrat-inspired chaos during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings as government watchdog Judicial Watch has filed a complaint with the Board of Professional Responsibility in Washington D.C. against the Democrat operatives who legally represent Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who testified in front of Congress during Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination process. The filing was made after it was revealed during testimony that Ford was never informed by her attorneys, Debra S. Katz, Lisa J. Banks and Michael R. Bromwich, that staffers for Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, were willing to fly to her home in California, or anywhere she chose, for a private interview instead of public questioning. The offer was made after Ford said she has a fear of flying, despite regularly taking flights across the country and the globe.

***

Dangerous And Deadly Crackpots Right & Left: In June last year, when rifle-toting James Hodgkinson, the left’s clone of whack-job mail-bomber, Cesar Sayoc, ran onto a field and shot up a Republican Congressional baseball practice, seriously wounding Republican Congressman Steve Scalise (R-LA), the left remained silent. However, after Sayoc, a far right nut-job, was captured the Democratic leadership of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) condemned President Trump saying he fostered “a divided America and that he condones physical violence.” Sayoc had a van plastered with pro-Trump stickers and anti-Democrat ones. Hodgkinson was Sayoc’s identical left wing unhinged twin saying on Facebook that “Trump is a traitor” and “It’s time to destroy Trump” and more inane gibberish.” At the time I don’t recall anyone in the Republican party saying that avowed Bernie Sanders supporter Hodginson’s unhinged behavior, was created by Senator Sanders. What Mr. Trump should do is stay above this hysterical finger-pointing fray and call for reason and a climate of temperate rhetoric. But don’t hold your breath, as that’s not his style.

***

Florida – An Economic Powerhouse: Florida is on a stellar GDP track, surpassing $1 trillion in the most recent fiscal year — a new milestone says the Tampa Bay area Business Observer using federal statistics. In comparison terms, that makes Florida’s economy the 17th largest in the world, ahead of Saudi Arabia, The Netherlands, Switzerland and Argentina, according to the Florida Chamber Foundation. At that rate, the Sunshine State, say chamber officials, adds $2.74 billion each day to the state’s GDP. A win by radical Democrat gubernatorial candidate and corrupt and failed Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, the most left-wing radical person on any ballot in the country, this coming Tuesday could cause those numbers to come to a screeching halt very quickly.

***

Drinking, Dining & Dancing: Something called Thai Spice Cafe has quietly opened up at 1460 Sadler Road, across the road from Publix, next to Jersey Mike’s sub shop in a former Starbucks location Thursday, October 30. Its menu features a variety of rice, noodles, curries, soups and other Thai dishes. The eatery lists a phone number (904/432-7748) and says they offer take out. There are a number of similarly named Thai Spice restaurants throughout the U.S. but a very polite and busy lady at the hostess station here told me this one is locally owned and not part of a chain. At the other end of the same strip center, where Jade Bistro once operated, a banner above the entrance of the under renovation building there advertises “Coming Soon: Surcheros.” Surcheros is a family-owned Douglas, Georgia based Tex-Mex franchise chain that will be across-the-road from Barberitos, another Georgia-based Mexican 50-store fast-food chain — that features an almost identical menu — located in the Publix-based shopping strip and sits next door to Jimmy Johns sub shop. Surcheros will serve a variety of tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos and salads and has 13 locations in Georgia with the Sadler Road site being the first one outside of that state. The Fletcher Avenue Surf Restaurant’s Joey Ledet, came out with a new 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. $9.99 per item seven-day-a-week fall lunch menu last week and among many other items boats a 1/4 of a Muffuletta that comes with sides or a salad. The Surf’s Muffuletta is the best I’ve ever eaten outside of New Orleans’ Central Grocery because that’s where Joey gets his ingredients and I’ll be by to purchase a whole one to go for what Mr. Ledet tells me is still just $19.00, one heck of a bargain for what you get — a meal for two people. I’ve yet to meet a person who can eat a whole one at one sitting.

Group 5 Fernandina Beach City Commission candidate Cason Zylinski didn’t do herself any favors in a rambling, disjointed front page interview with Julia Roberts — the News-Leader reporter with the fortunate name — in that paper’s Wednesday, October 19 edition.

Headlined “Cason Zylinski is running on a hometown perspective” the 36-year-old Ms. Zylinski lost little time boorishly and bewilderingly insulting her incumbent opponent, retired U.S. Marine, Len Kreger, saying: “There’s no possible way a 75-year-old relocated northerner settling into retirement could have the same interests and core values as a working class mother.” Without explaining that gibberish she then attempted to clarify why she hasn’t run for office prior to this but her explanation left puzzled readers scratching their heads as she said: “I’ve wanted to do this for about 10 years now, but the cards got stacked against somebody with my background, between demographic and tax bracket and being a local.” If anybody reading that understands what she said then please explain it to me, because I don’t.

Ms. Zylinksi, who works in some sort of management position for the Fletcher Avenue Sliders bar and restaurant where she books live music events, said that her priority as a commissioner would be to bring musical festivals to the city and was quoted using the term “freakin'” at least three times during the interview to emphasize her statements. For unexplained reasons she also tried to pigeon-hole popular former Parks & Recreation Department Manager, Jay Robertson, as a person that “wanted to be a concert promoter,” when in fact Mr. Robertson was responsible for much more than concerts, and did it all very well prior to leaving to accept a similar job in south Georgia. Why even mention Mr. Robertson? There’s much, much more of Ms. Zylinski’s silliness in this interview but take my word for it, based on this article alone, she is not the person this community wants on the City Commission. I’m voting for Mr. Kreger, a solid citizen, and a serious and proven commissioner, who studies and understands the issues even though I don’t agree with him very often.

In the other City Commission race I’m sticking with incumbent and retired businessman Roy Smith in the Group 4 race over challengers Bradley Bean and Mike Lednovich. I like Bean but want him to regroup and take out Commissioner Chip Ross when his term is up. As for Mr. Lednovich, who moved here just over a year ago, he’s a guy who thinks so much of himself that he ran for U.S. President in 2016 while living in California, a move that for some reason makes me uncomfortable. He’s also a very close pal of puffed-up Commissioner Ross, while Smith has been a constant and welcome thorn in that guy’s side.

In other races my vote will go to Rick Scott, U.S. Senator; John Rutherford. U.S. Congressional Representative, District 4; Ron DeSantis, Governor; Ashley Moody, Attorney General; Jimmy Patronis, Chief Financial Officer; Matt Caldwell, Commissioner of Agriculture; Aaron Bean, State Senator, District 4; Cord Byrd, State Representative, District 11; and Thomas Ford, County Commissioner, District 4. I’m voting to retain all of the Supreme Court Justices and voting yes on all of the Constitutional amendments except 3, 4, 9 and 13.

***

Smoked mullet plate

Making Mullet Great Again: A Florida Times-Union writer named Christopher Hong got my attention this past Monday when I borrowed a friend’s outragedly-priced ($2.14) copy of that sad Jacksonville newspaper and read a story headlined “Making mullet great again.” Mr. Hong describes how the bottom-feeding mullet once ruled the dinner tables of many Floridians during the depression years because they were plentiful, easy to catch, simple to prepare, and very tasty. He explained that since they were salted and smoked folks didn’t need electricity to cook them or refrigeration to preserve them. For some reason mullet today have fallen out of favor and are mostly used as bait and are considered a trash fish. But like Mr. Hong, I prefer a smoked mullet any day over one of those “previously frozen” filets displayed in area supermarkets that come from a foreign fish farm cesspool.” Mr. Hong’s article alerted me to the fact that the recently opened Palms Fish Camp on Heckscher Drive catches and slow-smokes batches of mullet over hickory, including hickory nuts. I’ll be heading down there are as soon as I make a call to them (904/240-1636) to make sure they have some on the grill. Mullet are running right now and there is nothing better than a butterflied smoked mullet filet, a nearby bottle of Louisiana hot sauce, and an ice-cold beer.

***

Speaking of Mullet And Mullet Wrappers: Long-time Amelia Island resident, and until just recently, a reporter for the local News-Leader, Cindy Jackson, has joined The Fernandina Observer where she will cover the Nassau County Board of Commission meetings among other assignments. I’ve observed Ms. Jackson while she covered county politics for the News-Leader and found her to be an accurate, fair and balanced reporter, never using unnecessary words to clutter a story. She knows her political subject well as she spent time in Washington. D.C. as a legislative aide, in public relations, legislative affairs, and as a lobbyist. Prior to transitioning into journalism she owned and operated a ladies’ boutique in downtown Fernandina Beach. She will be an asset to the Observer and its fast-growing readership.

***

Fumbling Florida Football: Could football in Florida get much worse than it was last week? Willie Taggert may be in his first and final season as Florida State’s (4-4) head coach following a 59-10 pounding by Clemson, which tied that school’s record for the worst defeat in school history and the worst ever at home, the other being a 49-0 drubbing at Florida in 1973. And speaking of The University of Florida’s Gators (6-2) they were crushed, 36-17, by Georgia, and Boston College smacked the University of Miami’s Hurricanes, 27-14. Meanwhile the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars embarrassed themselves twice in London, once in a bar by trying to skip out on a $60,000 tab and then on the field against the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-18. How do you run up a $60,000 bar tab in a joint that doesn’t even have strippers? These guys are dimmer than a barrel of hair. Oh, Miami’s NFL Dolphins were crushed, 42-23, by Houston’s Texans last Thursday and Tampa’s Buccaneers lost, 37-34, to Cincinnati’s Bengals. Meanwhile former FSU head coach. Jimbo Fisher, is doing just fine in his first year as Texas A&M head coach, where he has his Aggies at 5-3, good enough for 25th place in the AP top 25 poll. Oh, Central Florida is 7-0 and ranked ninth in the AP and Coaches poll and ignored by the state media. What’s up with that?

***

Better Not To Call Saul: In my lifetime there has never been a more pro-Jewish president than Donald Trump, a man whose daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren are Orthodox Jews. He moved the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and has pledged U.S. support to Israel threatening any nation that dares attack it. Following the slaughter of 11 harmless and defenseless people in a Pittsburgh synagogue, the left (Howard Dean, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and commentators on CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC etc.) came unhinged, blaming President Trump for this awful tragedy, committed by a mentally deranged, avowed anti-Semitic Trump-hater. When the President announced his plans to go to Pittsburgh to pay his respects some on the left said he should stay home, despite the rabbi and other congregation members saying they wanted him to come. Lefty louts even came out and shamefully protested the President during the funeral services. Using this horrible tragedy to leverage political gain is a page right out of Saul Alinsky’s book “Handbook for Radicals.” I find it ironic, that in a time of such tragedy in the Jewish community that liberals would stoop to capitalize on this awful disaster, using a Jewish writer’s Neo-Marxist strategies of gradualism, infiltration and the dialectic process for political gain. It’s disgusting. So are they.

***

A Sour Lemon: Don Lemon, a black CNN commentator, said this past week: “So, we have to stop demonizing people and realize the biggest terror threat in this country is white men, most of them radicalized to the right. And we have to start doing something about them. There is no travel ban on them. There is no ban on — they had the Muslim ban. There is no white guy ban. So, what do we do about that? “I think the logical question is what will CNN do about Don Lemon, as there’s no way to make lemonade out of that racist Lemon comment. CNN is owned by AT&T and if enough letters start pouring into that company’s CEO and Board of Directors, they may actually do something about this loon and his boss, Jeff Zucker, who has condoned his vile claptrap for far too long.

***

Blackballed: However, it didn’t take NBC long to fire Megyn Kelly for saying it isn’t wrong for a white person to dress up as a famous black person on Halloween. So what about those companies that sell Barack Obama, Dora The Explorer, Bruce Lee or Pocahontas masks? Should they be forced out of business? Or should the masks have labels on them saying: “Only to be worn by a person of the same ethnicity”? Or how about Elizabeth Warren? Should she face some sort of penalty for pretending to be a Cherokee Indian when she’s actually as white as Snowy Bleach? Or Hillary Clinton, when she put on a fake black and southern accent at a political rally? Why wasn’t she chastened? My mother and I would be in big trouble because when I was about eight or nine years old, she dressed me up as Aunt Jemima for Halloween…and as such I snagged my biggest haul of candy ever. And my Mother was far from a racist, in fact, just the opposite, as any racist comment in her presence brought a swift, harsh and humiliating rebuke. She was also a big fan of the Quaker Oats’ Aunt Jemima branded products. But today I’m sure that costume would bring hostile condemnation for being insensitive to blacks, women and cross dressers. It appears that NBC was looking to unload Ms. Kelly and her falling ratings and fat $69 million contract, and her use of the word “blackface” suited that objective.

***

A Bad Week For Creepy Lawyers: Creepy porn lawyer Michael Avenatti and his client Julie Swetnik have been referred for criminal prosecution after making a series of false claims to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Not only that. but Avenatti, who also represents sex worker Stormy Daniels, has been evicted from his offices for not paying more than four months of back rent, been successfully sued by a former colleague for several million dollars, and owes the IRS millions of dollars in back taxes. This guy wants to run as President on the Democrat ticket. Sounds to me like he’d fit right in with the rest of that crew and Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer will probably welcome him with open arms. Three more creepy lawyers are also in legal trouble resulting from the Democrat-inspired chaos during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings as government watchdog Judicial Watch has filed a complaint with the Board of Professional Responsibility in Washington D.C. against the Democrat operatives who legally represent Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who testified in front of Congress during Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination process. The filing was made after it was revealed during testimony that Ford was never informed by her attorneys, Debra S. Katz, Lisa J. Banks and Michael R. Bromwich, that staffers for Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, were willing to fly to her home in California, or anywhere she chose, for a private interview instead of public questioning. The offer was made after Ford said she has a fear of flying, despite regularly taking flights across the country and the globe.

***

Dangerous And Deadly Crackpots Right & Left: In June last year, when rifle-toting James Hodgkinson, the left’s clone of whack-job mail-bomber, Cesar Sayoc, ran onto a field and shot up a Republican Congressional baseball practice, seriously wounding Republican Congressman Steve Scalise (R-LA), the left remained silent. However, after Sayoc, a far right nut-job, was captured the Democratic leadership of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) condemned President Trump saying he fostered “a divided America and that he condones physical violence.” Sayoc had a van plastered with pro-Trump stickers and anti-Democrat ones. Hodgkinson was Sayoc’s identical left wing unhinged twin saying on Facebook that “Trump is a traitor” and “It’s time to destroy Trump” and more inane gibberish.” At the time I don’t recall anyone in the Republican party saying that avowed Bernie Sanders supporter Hodginson’s unhinged behavior, was created by Senator Sanders. What Mr. Trump should do is stay above this hysterical finger-pointing fray and call for reason and a climate of temperate rhetoric. But don’t hold your breath, as that’s not his style.

***

Florida – An Economic Powerhouse: Florida is on a stellar GDP track, surpassing $1 trillion in the most recent fiscal year — a new milestone says the Tampa Bay area Business Observer using federal statistics. In comparison terms, that makes Florida’s economy the 17th largest in the world, ahead of Saudi Arabia, The Netherlands, Switzerland and Argentina, according to the Florida Chamber Foundation. At that rate, the Sunshine State, say chamber officials, adds $2.74 billion each day to the state’s GDP. A win by radical Democrat gubernatorial candidate and corrupt and failed Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, the most left-wing radical person on any ballot in the country, this coming Tuesday could cause those numbers to come to a screeching halt very quickly.

***

Drinking, Dining & Dancing: Something called Thai Spice Cafe has quietly opened up at 1460 Sadler Road, across the road from Publix, next to Jersey Mike’s sub shop in a former Starbucks location Thursday, October 30. Its menu features a variety of rice, noodles, curries, soups and other Thai dishes. The eatery lists a phone number (904/432-7748) and says they offer take out. There are a number of similarly named Thai Spice restaurants throughout the U.S. but a very polite and busy lady at the hostess station here told me this one is locally owned and not part of a chain. At the other end of the same strip center, where Jade Bistro once operated, a banner above the entrance of the under renovation building there advertises “Coming Soon: Surcheros.” Surcheros is a family-owned Douglas, Georgia based Tex-Mex franchise chain that will be across-the-road from Barberitos, another Georgia-based Mexican 50-store fast-food chain — that features an almost identical menu — located in the Publix-based shopping strip and sits next door to Jimmy Johns sub shop. Surcheros will serve a variety of tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos and salads and has 13 locations in Georgia with the Sadler Road site being the first one outside of that state. The Fletcher Avenue Surf Restaurant’s Joey Ledet, came out with a new 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. $9.99 per item seven-day-a-week fall lunch menu last week and among many other items boats a 1/4 of a Muffuletta that comes with sides or a salad. The Surf’s Muffuletta is the best I’ve ever eaten outside of New Orleans’ Central Grocery because that’s where Joey gets his ingredients and I’ll be by to purchase a whole one to go for what Mr. Ledet tells me is still just $19.00, one heck of a bargain for what you get — a meal for two people. I’ve yet to meet a person who can eat a whole one at one sitting.

18 Comments

Hi Dave can you please put your restaurant and bar reviews at the top of your blog so people dont have to scroll through all the whack to get to them?. Talk about unhinged..that would be your constant political rants.
AS for the tragedy in Pittsburgh, I'm proud to be from there. You are way wrong about the situation there. While the head rabbi at the synagogue where the tragedy occurred said it would be ok if Trump showed up, the MAYOR of Pittsburgh, other rabbi's, and really any cogent thinking person didnt want him there. The mayor said it would be ok if he showed up but politely asked him to please respect those who were killed and their families and allow them the dignity they deserve and dont bring your act to theBurgh until the following week after the funeral services were concluded..He also cited the severe stress on security his visit would cause with the timing..Trump came anyway because the following week would be after the mid terms..Not one politician dem or repub greeted him at the airport which is unheard of. He spent minutes there at the scene, did not speak, and was met with peaceful protests numbering in the many thousands. This seems to match his reception in France. He of course said there were only a handful of protesters. I am writing this to you in the event you have any interest at all in creating an accurate blog. thanks a lot

I have known Jay Robertson for many years and the attack on him by Ms. Zylinksi is certainly unwarranted. Jay was a main force behind the creation of the various youth program activities by the Parks & Recreation Dept as well as organizing well attended and respected BBQ competitions as well as a couple of music concerts. While he had a couple of missteps on a couple of events and efforts by some to demean his integrity, it was clear that the issues were oversights and certainly no effort to compromise his responsibilities to the City. FB lost a value and hard working employee and FB's loss was the gain of the Ware County GA parks and recreation organization.

Dave, love you to death, but please get your facts straight. NO one " blamed " President Trump for the shootings in Pittsburgh. What they all said was that his , as you like to say " unhinged rhetoric and misinformation, ( lies ) about the caravan helped to fuel the fire that leads up to such events. No one is responsible except the man who walked into the synagogue and shot those worshipers. Another small fact you got wrong was there were those on the left as well as the right who thought it was very bad timing to go the day he did. That was the day the Jews buried their loved ones and it was a day for grieving and Prayer, not a day for any political influence to be present. President Trump chose that day as it would have been inconvenient due to his pep rally schedule to do it any other day. Really is a hard choice he had, respect the dead or miss a rally. The other fact you missed was that their were many who asked him not to come that day and wait till they had time to bury those killed, but again his rallies won out. With respect to Pittsburgh protesting, it was folks on the left as well as the right who were out there in mass trying to send a message to our President. If you noticed not one City official or one political figure met him as h e arrived. I Give him credit for trying to do the right thing, but his timing due to his busy campaign schedule just got it the way. Remember to vote and buy a lot of beer for election night

I completely agree about with you about Ms. Zylinksi. Her rambling and poor choice of words, as well as her attack on Mr. Robertson helped me make my decision that Mr. Kreger is the better candidate. While her heart may be in the right place as far as wanting more for the youth to do, it doesn't appear that she can make a coherent statement. How can we trust her to make big decisions on behalf of the residents? Furthermore, Mr. Robertson was an outstanding employee who brought many family friendly events to the community including BBQ events, Christmas Tree Lightings, Fourth of July Celebrations, Teen Field Trips, Kids Night Out, Scavenger Hunts.... I could go on and on about the many wonderful events that my family have participated in that he organized (many of which are no longer since he left the City... what a loss to the community!) She seems like she wants more things for the kids to do but then she completely dismisses an employee who spent 10+ years providing youth friendly programs to the community? She is obviously confused and doesn't know what she wants.

Dave, it appears that Coleman Langshaw and I have a lot in common. I tried before, unsuccessfully, to convince you that your humorous and entertaining blog would be much more effective if you could somehow stop insulting people who have different views.

Dave:
Based on my memory of things you have it about right on the Scalise event and if Donald were any more pro Jewish/Israel he would be keeping kosher at the White House. But remember the left's anti semitic accusations during the campaign? The fact that Lemon gets away with that kind of nonsense and Kelly gets fired says a lot about media bias. Incidentally, back in NYC at Halloween we routinely colored our faces with burnt cork. Guess that's racist now.

A few months ago, you conducted a terrific (and helpful) series which led to identifying the best hamburger on Amelia Island and it's environs. I believe your audience would appreciate and benefit your initiating another major hunt - that for the best fried chicken on or about Amelia Island.

Dave..... your statement that "...when rifle-toting James Hodgkinson, the left’s clone of whack-job mail-bomber, Cesar Sayoc, ran onto a field and shot up a Republican Congressional baseball practice, seriously wounding Republican Congressman Steve Scalise (R-LA), the left remained silent..."
That is just outright wrong and you should be ashamed to write such BS, you are a journalist, aren't you? Come on Dave, now you are simply pandering to the worst elements of one side of the flat world you defend so blindly...I am a Lefty (as you all too well know and acknowledge), and I DID not, and DO not remain silent. The shooting of the Republican Congressional baseball team was a horrible and disgusting act of cowardice by a jerk with a gun. Just like the attackers on 911 were Muslims, the recent mail-bomber is a Trumpophile, and that jerk with his rifle was a Trumpophobe whack-job, none of them embody the beliefs of he rest of us, LEFT or Right. Its really in pooooor taste to politicize tragedies, its WORSE to complain when one side does it, but then turn around and do it yourself. Come on Dave, you are better than that. Take my advice (and I am trying my hardest to do this myself), turn down the angry and volatile rhetoric, not every word to rile up the base, is good for our community, the country, and most importantly, our souls. In times like this, we need to try to come together, not find more ways to tear us apart.

Cason has my vote. Youth is what we need. NothIng against Len but we need some younger eyes in local government.
I have been to New Orleans. He may get the ingredients from the grocer where I had one and as you stated I ate mine for two days, but the amount of ingredients on my sandwich was lacking. It was good but nothing like the original.